May 8 (Reuters) - German healthcare group Fresenius

first-quarter results beat expectations, the company

said on Wednesday, citing strong performance at its Kabi and

Helios businesses, prompting it to raise its full-year outlook.

First-quarter earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were

633 million euros ($680 million), above analysts' expectations

of 606 million euros, according to a consensus of forecasts from

Vara Research.

In a bid to get leaner, Fresenius also said that it would

sell its investment unit, Fresenius Vamed, completing its

portfolio restructuring. The business accounted for 10% of its

revenue last year.

Since his appointment in October 2022, CEO Michael Sen has

been overhauling the group to cut costs and debt after it was

hit by a decline in earnings at its former dialysis unit,

Fresenius Medical Care.

The Hessian-based firm raised its full-year outlook after

the strong first quarter and due to improved business prospects

for its maker of generic hospital drugs, Fresenius Kabi.

It now expects its organic group revenue to grow by 4%-7%

this year, up from the 3%-6% it had expected earlier.

Fresenius also hiked its EBIT margin expectations to 15% to

16% compared with a previous forecast of around 15%.

Fresenius' results echo those of Fresenius Medical Care

which beat first-quarter operating earnings

expectations on Tuesday amid higher pricing and cost cuts.

($1 = 0.9312 euros)